1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card connector to be used for signal communication between a card such as an IC card and apparatus such as a computer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A card connector of the following type is known.
That is, a flat box-type housing houses a slider normally biased in an advancing direction by a spring load. When the slider is pushed to a retracted position against a spring load by a card inserted into the housing, a lock mechanism is actuated to position the slider at this retracted position. With the positioning of the slider, the card is set to a card setting position and the contacts of contact pieces come in contact with the external terminals of the card.
As means for assuring a contact pressure required for contacting the contacts of the card connector with the external terminals of the card, there is generally used the following means.
That is, the resiliency of the contact pieces causes the contacts to project to a card setting position. The contacts coming in contact with the external terminals of the set card may be raised against the resiliency of the contact pieces.
Such a card connector presents the problems that, when the card is inserted into the card setting position, the contacts rub with the top broad surface of the card, causing the contacts to be considerably worn, and that the tip of the card strikes on the contacts, causing the same to be deformed.
In view of the foregoing, there has been proposed a card connector capable of overcoming such problems.
According to this card connector, when pushing the slider into the retracted position by the card, the slider is raised, at a predetermined position, in a direction toward the contacts of the contact pieces. When the card is set or immediately before the card is set, the external terminals of the card come in contact with the contacts of the contact pieces located in the card setting position, thereby to raising the contact pieces against the resiliency thereof. This provides a required contact pressure.
The slider raising mechanism conventionally used in such a card connector has the following arrangement.
The slider has a back plate for supporting the reverse side of the card. This back plate is provided on the reverse side thereof with a concave portion which corresponds, in a predetermined positional relationship, to a raised portion formed on the housing. When the slider is located in the advance position, the concave portion is fitted in the raised portion to set the slider to a lower position. While the slider is being pushed into the retracted position, the concave portion comes out from the raised portion so that the reverse side of the back plate rides the raised portion. Thus, the slider is raised.
According to the conventional card connector having the slider raising mechanism above-mentioned, the thickness size of the connector in its entirety is determined by the thickness of the bottom plate of the housing having the raised portion, the thickness of the back plate of the slider, the slider raising height, the thickness of the contact piece housing space and the like. Thus, it is difficult to reduce the entire thickness of the connector to 8 mm or less, yet assuring the strength required for the card connector.
However, there is seen lately a requirement to minimize the thickness of the card connector. The thickness of the conventional card connector cannot be reduced to 8 mm or less, and cannot therefore, meet such a requirement.